As I continued to explore the Work Party theme, I amassed an expanding collection of antique toys, hand tools, colorful balloons, croquet and billiard balls, and whatever else might catch my eye. These objects provided me with a way to compose arrangements and easily move shape and color around the canvas.  

The steel wheel belongs to an antique wooden child’s wagon, while the biplane is yet another eBay find. The red of the fire truck and the oriental rug help to balance the overall composition. 

I think an undercurrent of all of these pieces is a longing for a simpler time, one in which imagination was more than enough to occupy a child’s time. Technology has been a double-edged sword that sometimes feels like death by a thousand cuts.

Completed in 2025, this piece is oil on paper, 14.75" h x 18.75"w (image); 20" x 24" mat, framed.